A New Member
by Ellojello8798
Summary: Set post Season 2, but does not fit in with season 3. Starling is cleaning up after the whole Mirakuru thing and team Arrow is pretty chill but then Laurel joins and stuff gets kinda tense. I might bash on Laurel a bit, but everyone else is as normal as I could manage.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi I'm kinda new to this just one night I decided to stay up till 1 writng a fanfiction and I made my account that same night. So if there are any funky mistakes please let me know and I'll try to fix it. Is this how you correctly format an author's note? I hope so... **

A few weeks after the whole Slade/mirakuru thing, the city is slowly getting fixed up. A few minor crimes here and there for the Arrow to take care of, but other than that it's relatively quiet.

The sound of Felicity's heels echo around the foundry as she walks down the steps. She's looking at her tablet, but she glances up to address Oliver who's beating up his practice dummies. "I'm not sure you're aware of this since you've been so busy trying to get QC back, but Laurel has been trying to get in touch with you for a while now."

Oliver pauses mid-punch and turns and quirks an eyebrow at Felicity. "Laurel? Why would she want to talk to me so badly?"

"Well, I mean you guys haven't really had the chance to discuss anything about how she knows you're the Arrow now." Felicity stated as she sat down in her usual seat in front of her computers.

Oliver sighed and stepped off the training mats. "I should probably see how she's doing, shouldn't I."

"Yes, you should. She got taken by Slade, too." Felicity involuntarily rubbed her neck where Slade had pressed the sword against it.

"I think I'll go see her right now," Oliver said.

"In normal clothes or your arrow gear?" Felicity asked with a smile.

"Wouldn't really make a difference anymore," Oliver said as he climbed the stairs. Felicity heard him pause and walk back down. "Diggle's gonna be here in about 1/2 an hour. Are you going to be ok down here by yourself for a while?"

Felicity waved him off, "I'll be fine, Oliver."

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Oliver knocked on Laurel's door and did a quick 360 of the hallway out of instinct.

Slowly, the door opened and Laurel peeked her head around. "Oliver! Hi," she said, surprise evident in her voice, "um, come on in."

Oliver smiled faintly and stepped into Laurel's apartment. "How are you doing Laurel?" He asked as he shut the door behind him.

"I'm doing okay. A lot has happened in the past few days and I'm guess I'm still trying to process it." Laurel said with a shrug. "Why haven't you been around, Ollie? I tried to contact you in every way possible and you never answered."

Oliver exhaled quietly and looked over her shoulder for a few seconds, trying to collect his thoughts, before he shifted his eyes to look straight into hers. "I didn't reach out to you because I wasn't sure how you felt about me now that you know I'm the Arrow. I wanted to give you time to think about it all before I showed up and made everything complicated."

"Oh Ollie," Laurel whispered as she stepped closer and put her hand on his arm. "You've been such a big part of my life, I'm not gonna let you go now. Even though some of your choices haven't been clear, the Arrow, you, saved this city, and I couldn't be more proud."

"Thank you, Laurel. For understanding." Oliver said. "It's getting late. I should head back to the foundry to see if there are any criminals that need to be taken care of." He said with a smile as he walked towards the door.

"Thank you for stopping by, Ollie," Laurel said as she opened the door for him. "And if you ever need any anything as Oliver Queen or even as the Arrow, I'd be happy to help you save our city," she added.

"I will keep that in mind. Good night Laurel."

"Goodnight." She said as the door quietly closed. And with that Oliver headed back to the foundry.

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"... But then again, if you tried putting the newer software into the old 2010 model it doesn't really make a difference since the processor isn't up to date. Speaking of up to date I really need to update the tracking program on these computers. I heard that the..."

"Felicity," Oliver said, interrupting her babble as he entered the foundry, "anything happening out there tonight?" He did a quick once over of the lair and saw two bags from big belly burger and a slightly bored looking Diggle leaning against the medical table. "Has Roy stopped by?" He asked.

"Oh! Oliver!" Felicity swiveled around in her chair to face him. "I didn't even hear the door open. Don't worry we saved you a burger." She said gesturing towards the bags. "Criminal wise, nothing major seems to be happening, so I think tonight's gonna be a quiet one. And no... I think Roy was helping his friend Sin with something tonight."

"Let's train." Oliver said to Diggle, nodding his head towards the training mat. Diggle quickly agreed. An hour's worth of Felicity's rambling can really get to you.

Just as the two men were about to change, Felicity jumped in her seat. "Hey, um, you guys might wanna check this out," she said, pointing to

her screen.

On one screen Felicity had pulled up a police scanner and was getting live feed from the scene of the robbery. "We've had a robbery at the Starling National Bank. Suspect is male, about 6'0" with a blue hoodie going south on 5th street." On the other screen, traffic cameras showed the described man slipping through the crowded streets.

"I looked into the accounts at Starling National and it looks like he just took $15,000 in cold cash." Felicity said typing away at her keyboard.

Diggle gave a low whistle. "And he's still managing to get away that fast?"

"Can you pull up face recognition on him, Felicity?" Oliver said as he walked towards his suit.

"Already on it. His name is Jacob Ruther and it says here that he was tried for attempted murder and selling of drugs, but both times he was proved not guilty."

Oliver shrugged on his quiver and turned on his earpiece. "Tell me where to go, Felicity," he said as he ran up the stairs.

Oliver raced through the streets on his motorcycle. "Left on Newburgh," Felicity directed. "Now sharp right. Wait... I lost him. He went into a building or something."

Oliver growled, "There are over 20 buildings around this intersection there's no way I'm gonna find him." Oliver revved his motorcycle and turned around. "I'm heading back. Try to get more information on him."

"Good news and bad news," Felicity said as he entered the foundry, "Bad news is, well, obviously he got away, but there also isn't a ton of info on him. His parents live in New York, no siblings, he's not married, no family, nothing. Only big thing is his trial, but all of the details are filed away in paper form in the DA's office."

"I thought you said there was good news..." Oliver said, running is hand through his hair.

"Guess who was involved in both cases and could possibly get us the information we need." Felicity said walking over to Oliver.

Oliver paused, "Laurel," he said.

"Exactly," Felicity said, "And since she already knows you're the Arrow, I'm sure she'd be willing to help out."

He nodded his head, "I'll go ask her about it."

Felicity tilted her head to one side. "Right now?" She asked, "Don't you think it's a little late?"

Oliver looked at his watch. It was well past midnight. "Oh," he said, his eyebrows furrowing, "I didn't realize what time it was." He reached out and placed his hand on Felicity's shoulder. "You didn't have to stay so late, Felicity. Why don't you head home, get some rest. You to Dig," he said looking over at Diggle who was absently scrolling through his phone.

"Any of you guys need a ride before I take off?" Diggle asked as he grabbed his jacket.

"I'm taking my bike," Oliver answered.

"I drove my car here, I'll be fine. Tell Lyla I said hi," Felicity said with a smile.

"Will do," Diggle said as he came over to clap a hand on Oliver's shoulder, "Goodnight guys. Call if you need anything." And with that Diggle walked out of the foundry.

Felicity sat back down at her computers absently mumbling about needing to find more information.

Oliver walked over and sighed, "Go home, Felicity. It's late. You said so yourself."

"But what if Laurel can't get the information we need?" She said looking up at him.

"I think Laurel's gonna do everything she can to get that info for us." Oliver said with a slight nod.

"How can you be so sure?" Felicity asked, "She hasn't exactly been totally supportive of your whole Arrow thing."

Oliver fiddled with an arrow that he left out on the table. "When I went to speak to her today, she seemed really eager to help me out," He said with a furrowed brow. "If I didn't know I better I would've thought she wanted to join our team." Felicity smiled when he said "_Our_ team".

"So what if she does?" She said with a shrug, "I know you have to go through that whole 'I care too much about her to put her in danger routine' but look at me! I'm perfectly fine. Not that I'm saying I know you care for me or anything which you might not, but I'm not really sure because I'm kind of confused now..." Felicity blushed when Oliver shot her a glance and quickly continued. "But anyways just give her a chance. I mean she's pretty smart and who knows, she might be able to help us with other stuff, too."

Oliver took a second to analyze the words Felicity just threw at him. "I guess we could give her a chance this time since we need her help anyways... But we'll have to see from there."

Felicity nodded and began shutting down her computers. "It'll be nice to have another woman around," Felicity said with a small laugh.

Oliver smiled, "Let me walk you to your car."

Oliver and Felicity trudged up the stairs and exchanged their goodnights as they stood by Felicity's tiny car. "Oh, and Felicity?" Oliver said as she got into her car, "Of course I care about you."

Felicity smiled up at him, and Oliver walked back to the foundry for a training session that would exhaust him to sleep. He could never fall asleep because every time he shut his eyes he would see Slade holding Felicity captive and thoughts of losing Felicity would weigh down even more on his chest.

As he pounded away at the training dummies, Oliver wondered how Felicity could believe that he didn't care for her. Felicity had become such a big part of his life and he couldn't be more grateful. He just hoped that Laurel wouldn't create a void between them like she had countless times before.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Aaaaahhh! I can't believe I actually got a couple of follows and reviews! I honestly thought this story was gonna be a flop hahaha reassuring right? Anyways let's get to it!**

The next morning Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity are at Queen Consolidated to see how the company is holding up. Felicity is at a computer checking on all of the accounts and shares and grimacing at the numbers. She glances up at Oliver who is pacing around as he talks to Walter.

"I don't know what to do," Oliver says, starting to get exasperated, "What's the first step to getting my company back?"

"Investors," Walter states simply, "you need them to get up and running again."

Oliver turned his head away from the window. "Does that mean lavish parties and persuasive speeches?" He said rubbing his hands down his face.

Walter chuckled, "What has to be done, has to be done! And it won't be too bad, Oliver, you've got you're friends," He said gesturing towards Felicity and Diggle.

Diggle gave him a nod from where he was standing in the corner of the room, and Oliver smiled.

"Thank you for all of your help, Walter," Oliver said, shaking his hand, "I'm very grateful that you have been kind enough to help me out."

"Anytime, Oliver. It's a pleasure," Walter said, as he proceeded to pack up his briefcase.

Felicity gave Walter a small wave as he walked out. "Ms. Smoak," he acknowledged with a nod of his head and a smile.

Oliver loosened his tie and addressed his friends, "Let's head to the foundry. All this business talk is making me tense."

As Oliver exited QC with Diggle in the lead, Felicity fell into step with him. "So," she said, looking up at him, "When's this 'lavish party' gonna be? Even though your parties tend to be a bit on the boring side, I've got this dress that's been hanging in my closet for a few months and I gotta put it to use sometime."

Oliver's lip twitched upward, but he continued to walk briskly towards the car. He opened the door for Felicity and they all followed suit and piled in. "I was thinking," Oliver said once Diggle started the car, "that we could use the party to draw out that robber somehow."

Diggle glanced at him through the review mirror and said, "I don't think that's a good idea, Oliver. I know you've done it before, and it usually works, but this time you actually need this party, and it wouldn't help if you left in the middle of it."

"Diggle's right," Felicity said as she scrolled through her tablet, "the numbers at QC aren't looking too good."

Oliver sighed, "Okay. But our first priority is to catch this guy, then we'll figure out the party later."

They all agreed and the car fell into a peaceful silence. Oliver took out his phone and typed a quick message to Laurel. _Lunch at the new Italian place on Main? _

Laurel replied, _Sure, how does 1:30 sound?_

_Great. I'll see you then._ Oliver replied as they pulled up at the foundry.

While Felicity ran searches to try to locate the whereabouts of Jacob Ruther, Oliver and Diggle sparred.

"I know trivial crimes aren't really your thing," Felicity said, swiveling around, "but a lady's being held at gunpoint 2 streets down... You know, just in case you might want to intervene."

Oliver sighed, rolled his shoulders, and was about to speak when Diggle cut in. "I'll take care of it," he said holstering his gun, "He looks like a teen that's just messin' around."

Oliver nodded, "Thanks, Dig."

Felicity watched as Diggle strategically disarmed the guy and walked him to a police cruiser that was parked down the street. "He makes it look so easy," Felicity said with a quiet chuckle.

Oliver smiled. "C'mere," he said gesturing for Felicity to join him on the training mat.

Felicity quirked an eyebrow. "Why..?" She asked, a billion inappropriate thoughts running through her head-which she thankfully did not say out loud.

"I'll show you how to disarm someone," he said as Felicity narrowed her eyes. He chuckled, "Come on! It will come in handy if you're ever held at gunpoint."

Felicity reluctantly walked over, leaving her heels at the edge of the mat. "If I'm ever held at gunpoint? More like when. And technically I already have been held at gunpoint..." She said said with a snort.

Oliver cringed slightly at her words, but quickly covered it up. He picked up one of Diggle's extra guns and pointed it directly at Felicity's head. Just as he was going to explain what to do Felicity cut in. "You actually look really intimidating looming over me with a gun pointed at my head." She said, taking a step back.

Oliver rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "First thing you have to do when someone's got a gun trained on you, is point the barrel as far away from you as you can." Oliver went on to demonstrate different ways to twist it away and grab the gun and then told Felicity to try it.

After several attempts that consisted of her tripping over her own foot, hitting her head against the gun, and almost knocking over Oliver, she finally got it... Kind of.

Felicity did a victory dance once she successfully got the gun out of his hand. "Felicity," Oliver said trying to hide a chuckle, "once you take the gun, you should probably do something about the person who had the gun pointed at you in the first place."

Felicity stopped abruptly. "Oh," she said with a laugh, "do I have to shoot you now?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. Felicity pointed the gun at his head and said in the most Arrow-y voice she could manage, "Surrender! Or die!"

Before she realized what was happening, Oliver easily took the gun out of her hand and pulled her against his body in a mock chokehold, with the gun pointed at her temple. "Or take you captive again," he said with smirk.

Felicity gulped. Her heart pounded in her ears as she felt Oliver's warmth engulf her. She quickly shook the thoughts out of her mind and jabbed her elbow into his stomach. She quickly twisted his wrist just like he showed her and once again she had the gun.

Oliver grinned, "Nice job! You make it look pretty easy yourself."

Felicity smiled back at him and took a bow. She spotted Diggle in the back of the foundry and he gave her a double thumbs up.

"What time is it?" Oliver asked as he took a gulp of water.

"Quarter past one," Felicity said, sitting back down at her computer.

"I'm having lunch with Laurel so I'll be back in a few," Oliver said as he went to change.

Once Oliver left the foundry, Diggle came over to Felicity and leaned on the table next to her.

"What was that look you gave him when he left?" Diggle questioned.

Felicity looked up at Diggle, eyes wide. "What look?" She said trying to act confused. "Why would I give him a look? He's just going to lunch with Laurel, which is totally normal except for the fact that I was the one who kind of told him to... And now he's going to lunch with her and he's going to talk to her and I don't know what's going to happen." At this point she was wringing her hands and her eyes were darting around the room.

"What's going on, Felicity?" Diggle asked cocking his head.

"He's going to lunch with her to ask her to join Team Arrow," Felicity said as she stood up and started pacing.

"WHAT?" Roy said as entered the foundry.

"Roy, where have you been?" Felicity asked, taking in his dirty clothes.

"That's not important right now," he said, "What's goin' on with Laurel?" Roy shot a glance at Diggle.

"Don't look at me, man," He said, "Felicity just dropped that on me, too." They both turned and looked at Felicity with raised eyebrows.

She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. "So Roy, there's this robber we found yesterday named Jacob Ruther, but we couldn't get any information on him except for the fact that he was in a court case that Laurel was involved in. And after you left, Diggle, Oliver told me Laurel wanted to join us, and I was fine with it. I mean what's wrong with another person helping us out right?"

Roy was the first to speak. "I guess I don't really have anything against Laurel. I just think our team is good how it is."

Diggle nodded. "In the end it really is up to Oliver," he said with a shrug, "I guess we'll just have to go with it and see what happens." He pushed himself off the the table and walked over to Roy. "Let's get you cleaned up and do some training. We need to work on your left uppercut," Diggle said as Roy followed him to the other side of the foundry.

Felicity drummed her fingers against her leg. After seeing both Dig and Roy's reluctance in letting Laurel join, she began wondering if she had made the right choice by telling Oliver she was fine with it.

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Oliver pulled out a chair for Laurel and then sat in one himself. Laurel smiled-Oliver had always been such a gentleman.

As they ordered their food and waited for it to arrive, they exchanged a few polite words, but Oliver wanted to wait until a little further into the meal before he disrupted it with his favor.

"This food looks delicious!" Laurel said once the food was brought out.

Oliver nodded in agreement and the table fell silent as they both dug into their lunches. "Have you heard from Sarah at all?" Oliver asks.

Laurel frowned slightly. "No, I haven't," she said, putting her utensils down. "I don't know how to contact her since she could be anywhere on earth right now, so I guess I'll just have to wait until she contacts me."

Just as Oliver opened his mouth to reply, his phone starts ringing. "Excuse me," he said, as he took out his phone and saw that is was Felicity.

"Hello?" Oliver said, picking up the phone.

"Oliver, so that robber from yesterday, Jacob Ruther, he just robbed another bank 10 minutes ago. And this time he took $20,000," Felicity said quickly, "This guy is working really fast, and that means we need the information on him now."

Oliver exhaled and pursed his lips. "Okay," he said evenly, "I'll get the information to you by tonight." And he hung up.

"Sorry," he said, looking back at Laurel, "there's been a couple of robberies lately and we're having some difficulty catching the guy." Laurel's eyebrows rose, and Oliver could tell he'd gained her interest.

"Have you figured out any information on this robber?" Laurel asked, inadvertently leaning forward.

Oliver shook his head. "All we have is that his name is Jacob Ruther," he said.

Laurel's eyes widened. "I remember him. He went to court for attempted murder and for selling drugs. I bet there's some info on him in the DA's office."

"That could be really helpful," Oliver said. "If you could somehow get the information within the next few days it might give us what we need to catch this guy." He said sincerely.

"No, no," Laurel said reaching into her purse, "I can get the information for you right now. If you wait to long, he's going to keep stealing money."

Letting Laurel join him in saving the city seemed like a better idea by the second since she was so willing to help him out. Thinking back, Oliver realized he hadn't talked to Diggle and Roy about it and he just hoped it wouldn't back fire on him.

They both packed up their unfinished food, and Oliver drove them to the DA's office.

"You can wait out here," Laurel said when they arrived at the office, "It'll only take a second."

True to her word, Laurel quickly climbed back into the car in no time. "Okay," she said, starting to open up the files.

Oliver put a hand on hers to stop her from opening it up and said, "Just hold on a sec, Laurel. We can open the file in a little bit."

Laurel glanced at him, confused by his odd behavior, but closed the folder nonetheless. "Where are we, Ollie?" Laurel asked when the pulled up at the foundry.

"Let's just say this is the new 'home base' for the Arrow," Oliver said as he stepped out of the car. He looked over and saw Laurel's eyes widen.

He punched in the code, held the door open for Laurel, and led the way as they went down the stairs. When they got to the bottom, he turned around and looked at Laurel.

"This is our new foundry, and as Felicity would say..." He turned to where Felicity was standing up from her chair and walking over.

"Welcome to Team Arrow."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm prob gonna be updating a lot less because I honestly don't know where I'm going with this story and I think that reflects in this chapter. Once I figure out what to do, we'll go from there. **

Laurel's eyes widened and she turned to look at Oliver. "Are you really going to let me join you guys?" She asked, excitement evident In her voice.

Oliver glanced at Felicity to double check and saw that she was smiling at Laurel. Oliver nodded and said, "Of course." He beckoned for Laurel to follow him into the foundry. "Come on in, Felicity will show you where everything is and how we do stuff around here," he said as he spotted Roy and Diggle at the other end of the room and started walking towards them.

Laurel approached Felicity and handed her the documents. "Felicity, right?" Laurel said, and Felicity nodded. "These are the files on Jacob Ruther. Oliver told me how these might help you guys catch him."

"Yea, thanks," Felicity said as she put them on the table, "We can go over them after I give you a grand tour." Felicity walked over to the medical area and started explaining everything to Laurel, throwing in a few random comments or stories from time to time.

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"Roy," Oliver said as he approached the two men, "when did you get back?"

"Around 2," he said dismissively, "you weren't here."

Oliver saw Diggle and Roy exchange a glance an he immediately knew what was going on. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know I didn't really discuss with you guys about how Laurel was going to join our team, but this isn't permanent," he said trying to gauge what they were thinking from their expressions. "I just want to give her a chance and see if she's going to benefit us or not," Oliver continued.

Diggle sighed and nodded. "I get it, man. You're not used to being part of a team and you've mostly had to make decisions on your own. But next time you want to make a huge change, at least mention it to us," Diggle said giving Oliver a meaningful look. "I'm just glad that you discussed it with Felicity," he added. Oliver nodded and Diggle went to get changed, giving Laurel a quick greeting as he passed.

Oliver turned and raised an eyebrow at Roy, asking what he had to say about the situation.

"What Dig said," Roy grunted out as he started punching one of the training dummies.

"Your feet need to be planted farther apart, and don't lean in so much when you throw punch," Oliver advised as he turned around and walked away from the mats. Roy rolled his eyes, but fixed his form nonetheless.

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"And those are the training mats," Felicity said, pointing in the general direction of where Roy was beating up a dummy. "That's Roy," she said, noticing that Oliver was walking towards her. "Have you met him before?" She asked Laurel.

"Well yes," she said smiling slightly, "The first time I met him was when he stole Thea's purse, but I didn't know he was helping out the Arrow."

Felicity laughed and then turned her attention to Oliver who was by her side at this point. "You wanna go over those files now?" She asked, turning to her desk were she put them down.

"Sure," he said following Felicity. "Get over here, Roy," Oliver said, gesturing for him to come over, "We gotta get you caught up on what's going on."

Roy reluctantly walked over, and both he and Diggle joined the group that surrounded Felicity. Just as Felicity was about to open up the file, Laurel took it from her hands. It was rough enough to be considered impolite, but it wasn't rough enough for anyone to call her out on it.

"Since this file's from the DA's office, I'll be able to interpret it and get the most out of it," Laurel reasoned as she flipped it open.

"Yea... Yea of course," Felicity said with a smile, quickly recovering from the shock of having the file snatched from her hand. "That's why we needed your help in the first place."

Diggle quirked an eyebrow at Oliver, but saw that he was oblivious to the little scene that just went on. Instead Oliver was looking at Roy who looked as if he just saw a ghost.

Felicity turned and saw both Diggle and Oliver looking at Roy. "Hey Roy, are you okay?" She asked. She noticed that Roy was staring at her computer screen where she had pulled up some general information on Ruther.

"Is that the robber you guys have been talking about?" Roy asked, pointing to the picture of Ruther on her computer screen.

"Yea," Felicity said, "I honestly don't think he looks that intimidating, but you look pretty freaked out... So is there something you know about him that we don't?"

"That's why I wasn't here yesterday," Roy said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.

"Yesterday Sin and I were going around the Glades looking for any small stuff going down that we could stop. I remember him. He was getting beat up by another guy over some owed money or something. I saved a freaking robber!" Roy finished with a sarcastic bark of a laugh.

"Good job," Laurel said sarcastically, looking up from the files. "Do you remember anything about the man who was attacking Ruther?" Laurel asked Roy, "It might help us figure out what's going on here." Oliver nodded his agreement, and Laurel smiled.

Roy scratched the back of his neck and scrunched up his face as he reed to recall the details. "Male, dark brown hair, balding at the top a little. He was shorter than me, maybe 5'7". Pretty average build, but he was kinda weak. Seemed like a man that just sat around in an office all day. There wasn't really anything distinguishable about him. If I saw him again I would recognize him, but I don't really have photographic memory," Roy said shrugging his shoulders.

Diggle nodded. "Okay, maybe that info will come in handy later, but let's check out that folder first," he said nodding towards the folder still in Laurel's hands, "Whaddya got for us, Laurel?"

Oliver noticed Laurel sitting up even straighter as she sat poised against the edge of one of the tables. His glance slid over to Felicity who was slouched in her desk chair, head propped up by her hand, looking completely comfortable and at home in the foundry. His lip quirked up.

"Well," Laurel said in answer to Diggle's question, "there was actually a lot of damning evidence that Ruther committed these crimes, and there was barely a chance that he wouldn't go to jail, let alone be set free completely. I don't know why, but the jury decided he was innocent and just like that he's out in the streets again."

"Is there anything in there that will help us figure out why he suddenly needs the money now?" Oliver asked.

Laurel shrugged and flipped through the papers. "Not really," she said apologetically.

"Felicity, could you run some searches on any employers or coworkers he had?" Oliver said as he went to change. He needed to get some training in.

"On it," Felicity said as her fingers flew over the keys.

After a few minutes, Felicity sighed frustratedly and rolled her chair back slightly. "Nothing substantial," she said to Diggle and Laurel, who were still beside her. Both Oliver and Roy were training a few meters away. "Worked in construction for a few years, but nothing really happened. Before his trials he was jobless, so maybe he just wants the money to start a better life or something." Felicity said, tilting her head up to look at Diggle.

Diggle gave a tired laugh. "I think there's another reason behind the money," he said as he looked down at his watch. "It's almost 9 o'clock guys, anyone up for a late dinner?"

"I wouldn't mind Big Belly," Felicity said, scrunching up her face as her stomach rumbled.

Oliver came up beside Diggle. "I'll go with you to pick some up," he said to Dig.

"Don't get me anything," Roy said from the training mats. "I was thinking of leaving in a little bit, if that's okay with you guys because it's getting kind of late and I have to..."

"It's fine Roy," Oliver said cutting him off giving him a reassuring nod. Oliver didn't need a reason. The kid was training his butt off and deserved a night to himself. "We'll see you tomorrow," Oliver said as he and Diggle walked out of the lair.

Roy left a few minute afterwards, which left the two ladies in silence.

"Why do you think the jury just randomly decided he was innocent?" Felicity asked suddenly when the silence got a little overwhelming.

"I honestly don't know," Laurel said with a huff of a breath. "If I didn't know better I would've thought that the jury was somehow biased and someone messed with the court system, but I don't know how that would've been pulled off."

"What if they were somehow forced to say he wasn't guilty?" Felicity brainstormed out loud.

Laurel's eyes widened. "Maybe that's why Ruther needs the money!" She said standing up pacing around. "If he somehow bribed the jury into saying he was not guilty, he would need money to pay them!"

"We just need to figure out who was in the jury for his cases," Felicity said quickly swiveling her chair to face her computers. Her fingers flew over the keys with a newfound determination.

Laurel looked in the folder from the DA's office and listed some names for Felicity to look up. "We work pretty well together," Laurel remarked once they got through all the names.

Felicity smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "That we do," she said.

"Do you spend a lot of time with Oliver?" Laurel asked suddenly.

Felicity looked up, surprised and a bit flustered. "I guess," she said pursing her lips. "I mean we both work at QC and we spend a lot of time in the foundry."

"I used to know Oliver so well," Laurel said with a distant, almost dreamy look in her eyes. "I'm so glad I know every part of him again. Now we can honestly share our feelings and become closer."

Felicity smiled and nodded, trying not to grimace. Another Lance joining Team Arrow and falling for Oliver. It was all getting pretty old, but she had no right to judge because she might just be falling for Oliver, too.

"Oliver!" Laurel said excitedly when the two men walked into the foundry. "We found something that might help us catch the robber."

Laurel's shouts shook Felicity out of her thoughts and she blushed when Oliver's arm brushed against her when he put the bag of burgers next to her. "Food!" She said grabbing for the bag. Oliver quirked and eyebrow at her. "Oh, the info's on the computer," she said nodding her head towards one if the screens while taking a big bite out of her burger.

Laurel quietly explained their theory as Oliver read the information that Felicity had gathered.

Oliver walked over to the case containing his suit. "I think I'm going to go visit one of those people," Oliver said looking at the list of jury members.

"Hey, man," Diggle said at the same time Felicity said, "Oliver..."

"I don't think that's the best idea," Felicity continued. "This is just a theory, and we don't really have much to back it up. How about we wait until tomorrow after we know a little bit more."

"You're right," Oliver said, "It's getting late, we should all head home. Let me walk you to your car, Felicity."

Felicity nodded and started to pack up her things, feeling Laurel's eyes on her the whole time.

"Goodnight, Diggle," she said giving him a wave.

He gave a nod and a smile in return. "Goodnight," he said.

"'Night, Laurel," Felicity said turning to Laurel. "Are you gonna come by tomorrow night?"

"Of course!" She said, sounding a little offended. "Goodnight."

Her eyes followed Oliver and Felicity as he walked with her and opened the door.

Diggle noticed her watching and shook his head. He'd never been a huge fan of dramatic love triangles.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"You got everything?" Oliver asked as they stood by Felicity's car.

"Yup," she said patting her messenger bag. "I'm bringing home the file on Ruther's case so I can do a little more research."

Oliver nodded. "Thanks for putting so much time into catching this guy," he said with a grateful smile.

"Makes me feel good," she said with a nod, "I'm helping a hero save his city, one criminal at a time."

Oliver's smile grew. Felicity's belief in him sometimes made him believe in himself more, and he was forever grateful.

"You better get some sleep tonight, though," Felicity said, suddenly becoming serious. "Don't think I haven't noticed the bags under your eyes getting darker, Oliver."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm trying, Felicity," he said with a shrug, "It's just been pretty difficult with all of the changes that have happened."

She gave him a sad smile, and out of the blue, reached up and gave him a hug. "Goodnight, Oliver."

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed lightly, returning the hug. "Goodnight, Felicity," he said and they unwrapped their arms. "Drive safe," he added when she got into her car.

"Will do," she said with a smile and a mock salute. Oliver smiled and waved as she drove away.

Oliver walked back into the foundry.

"Come on, Laurel," he said gesturing for Laurel to follow him. "Let me give you a ride home."

She quickly followed him out the door, not even bothering to say goodnight to Diggle.

"You're really helping us out, Laurel," Oliver said once they were settled in his car. "Thank you for agreeing to join us."

Laurel nodded. "I just think it's great that you're letting me into your life again." She said placing a hand on his arm. "I can now get to know you as the man you are now."

Oliver nodded, but in his head a mini war raged. He really did care for Laurel and he knew she cared for him, too, but he wasn't sure if he was compatible with her as the man he was now. Oliver shook his head to try to clear it. He had enough to think about, he didn't need to add to it.

When Oliver returned to the foundry Diggle had already left, but he found a note that Dig and written for him. Oliver read it over twice and let out a big sigh, scrubbing his hands down his face.

_You know how Felicity feels. Is throwing in another Lance really going to help things? Sleep well. _

_-Dig _

**A/N 2.0: I know I totally copied the whole 'jury was bribed/threatened' from Moira's court case, but I honestly just wanted this robber thing to be a short storyline and it's already taken up 3 chapters and I want to end it! Forgive me if it's getting boring. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: It has been way too long since I've updated and this chapter isn't even that good... It was originally gonna be a lot longer, but I decided I would split it into 2 chapters. So keep your eye out for another chapter soon :) **

The next morning Felicity did not want to get up. At all. She stayed up all night digging into the Ruther case and now she had to attempt to make it through the day.

Leaving her house a little earlier than usual, she stopped by the foundry before heading to QC. She walked briskly in and straight to her computers; completely oblivious to Oliver who was hanging from the salmon ladder.

"Felicity," Oliver said, dropping down to the ground, "what are you doing here?"

"Gah!" Felicity exclaimed, swiveling around, eyes wide. "What are_ you _doing here?" She asked, picking up her tablet and quickly checking his schedule. "You have a meeting at 8:30, Oliver, and if you're late it might ruin all your chances of bringing QC back."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I have over an hour. I'll be fine." He said dismissively. "I want to know what you're doing here though," he said stepping closer to Felicity and studying her features. "You rarely stop by the foundry before work."

She quickly turned back to her computers. "I just wanted to start some searches and let them run through the day," she murmured, typing furiously.

Oliver put a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him. "I know you told me you were looking into Ruther's file last night, but exactly how late did you stay up looking into it?" Oliver questioned as his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Felicity shrugged and replied, "Just a little later than usual." Her hand fidgeting with her buttons and her eyes darting around the room were dead giveaways that she was lying.

Oliver sighed and let go of her shoulder, instead he leaned down to look her straight in the eye. "How many hours of sleep?"

"Maybe 3 or 4 at most..." Felicity said sheepishly.

"And you're telling me I should sleep more!" Oliver said, his voice a mix of anger and humor.

"You do need to sleep more!" Felicity said exasperated. "Imagine if you fell asleep while interrogating a bad guy or something!" She said trying to stifle her grin as she imagined the scene. She pressed a few more keys on her keyboard and then began packing up. "I've functioned on 2 hours of sleep before. It was at MIT and I had to rewrite my entire essay the night before it was due! But then the next day I think I slept through half of my classes... So I guess I can't really function," Felicity pursed her lips. "Anyways, I'm gonna head to QC. I better see you there preferably before 8:30 so you can go over the notes I have for you and actually know what's going on."

Oliver gave her a nod, "I'll see you at the office, Felicity."

Felicity reached the bottom of the stairs and turned around to face Oliver who was now over at the training mats. "Hey, uh, could you pick up-"

"Yes, I'll pick up coffee on my way to QC," Oliver said rolling his eyes.

"Awesome, thanks," Felicity grinned and left the foundry.

Oliver glanced at the time displayed on Felicity's computers. It was a quarter till 8. He had to train quickly if he wanted to make it to work in time.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Oliver got to Queen Consolidated at 8:28, carrying 3 cups of coffee. He offered a nod of greeting to Diggle who was standing by the door and handed him a cup. Oliver then proceeded to place Felicity's coffee on her desk. Felicity looked up at him, annoyance etched in her face as she handed him a file.

Oliver grinned. "Hey, I got here before 8:30," he said turning on his heel to head into his office. "Oh, and I gave you an extra shot of espresso. Figured you might need it."

Felicity picked up her coffee, took a sip, and let out an appreciative sigh. It was just the way she liked it, per usual. He winked at her.

"Get in there, Queen," she said, jerking her thumb in the direction of the conference room. Oliver decided to humor her and looked around all wide eyed and confused as if he didn't know where the conference room was. He glanced back at her shrugged apologetically. Felicity shook her head and chuckled at his crazy antics.

The good mood that filled the office quickly dissipated as the meeting dragged on and on. The Director of Finances finally called for a break after two very long hours. Oliver walked briskly out of the conference room and went and stood by the window overlooking the city. For all he knew, this window might not even be his by the end of the week. He scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a big sigh. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity walking towards him with Diggle not too far behind.

"How's the company looking?" Diggle asked.

"Well, we're at rock bottom, so it can't get any worse, which could be considered a good thing," Oliver said turning around to face them, "But in order to get QC back to where it was-"

"We need that investors party. And soon," Felicity finished.

Oliver nodded grimly. "But if we take our attention away from the Ruther case to plan some party, he might steal another hundred-thousand dollars before we know it," he said with a frustrated sigh.

Diggle shrugged and said, "I guess we'll just have to get this case done as fast as possible."

Oliver looked up at Diggle and Felicity. "You're right," he said, "This needs to end tonight. We have all of the information on him, so we're gonna catch this guy."

Both Felicity and Diggle nodded agreement, and Felicity just opened her mouth to reply when the Director called for the meeting to resume. She shut her mouth and looked up at Oliver who had a pained expression on his face. Felicity gave him a tight-lipped, reassuring smile and straightened out his tie. Oliver shot her a grateful look and then slid back into his CEO facade.

When the meeting was finally over, they all decided it would be best to get started on the case.

"Could we stop somewhere for lunch first?" Felicity asked, as they all got situated in the car. "There's this tiny, little restaurant on the corner of 2nd and Waterview that I've been dying to try." She looked up hopefully at Oliver. He in turn glanced at Dig.

"I'm cool with it," Diggle said, starting the car.

Oliver nodded, "Let's do it."

A few minutes later they arrived at the restaurant. Felicity wasn't lying when she said it was 'tiny'. There were just under a dozen tables, but surprisingly, it didn't feel cramped. Felicity noticed Oliver surveying the restaurant. "We could order something to go and eat at the foundry if you want," Felicity offered.

Oliver shook his head. "Let's eat here. It's been awhile since the three of us have had a chance to just sit down and enjoy a meal." Felicity smiled at him and felt his hand rest on the small of her back to guide her to a table.

The food was delicious, and they all agreed that this restaurant was a close second compared to Big Belly. Diggle talked about his time at boot camp, and Felicity told the guys about her experiences at MIT. Although Oliver didn't talk as much, he still laughed along and shared the occasional story about his childhood. They sat and talked long after they finished their meal; none of them wanting to go back to the hectic life they had outside of the booth where they sat.

Diggle sat back and watched Felicity talk animatedly; arms grasping at the air to emphasize whatever she was saying. Out of the corner of his eye, Dig saw that Oliver had his full attention on her. He was leaned forward in his seat and looked almost enraptured. Diggle couldn't believe that they were so oblivious to the obvious bond that the two of them had. From the outside, it might look as if Felicity did everything for Oliver with nothing in return, but after spending so much time with the two of them, Diggle knew it wasn't true. Oliver appreciated every little thing Felicity did and showed his gratefulness through respect, trust, and kindness for Felicity.

He looked at his watch, and was surprised to see it was almost a quarter past two. He cleared his throat-cutting off Felicity mid-sentence-and stepped out of the booth. "It's already past two," he said shrugging on his suit jacket, "We should get going."

Felicity pulled out her phone, to check the time herself. She glanced up apologetically at Oliver. "I'm so sorry, Oliver. I didn't realize we'd been here for so long," she started to babble, "You said you wanted to get started in the case, and here I am making you sit down and have lunch and then forcing you to listen to all of my horrible MIT stories. You're probably sick of hearing me babble, aren't you? I'm sorry, I-"

Oliver smiled and grabbed her flailing hands with his own to try and calm her down. "It's okay, Felicity," he said, still holding her hands, "This was the best lunch I've had in a very long time. So thank you, for making this lunch so enjoyable."

She smiled back-slightly embarrassed. "Well, um... You're welcome," Felicity said, pulling her arms back and nervously tucking stray hairs behind her ear.

They both slid out of the booth, and after slipping on his suit jacket, Oliver helped Felicity into her coat. He gave her shoulders a light squeeze before dropping his hands, and together they walked to the waiting car.

As they were driving to the foundry, a strange buzzing sound came from the floor of the car. "Oliver," Felicity said tentatively, "Do you hear that buzzing? Or am I going crazy?"

Oliver gently pushed Felicity to the opposite side of the car and then turned in his seat so that his body was positioned in front of Felicity's.

Noticing the movement in the backseat, Diggle glanced back and asked, "What's going on back there?"

"There's this buzzing sound coming from underneath Oliver's seat, and I think it's a bomb!" Felicity blurted out, clutching onto Oliver.

"A bomb?!" Diggle said incredulously, "I'm stopping this car right now."

"Wait, Diggle," Oliver said, leaning down to look under the seat, "Don't stop the car."

"Oliver..." Felicity said, grabbing his arm tighter. "I don't want that thing blowing in your face."

With his face inches from the floor of the car, he could see the source of the buzzing. He inhaled sharply, and picked it up. It was his phone.

He straightened back up and showed the phone to Felicity who let out a sigh of relief and a small laugh. "It's his phone, Diggle," Felicity said, which earned an eye roll from him.

"It must've fallen out when you took that sharp turn earlier," Oliver said, shooting a look at Diggle.

Diggle glanced back at Oliver and chuckled-remembering how Felicity fell into Oliver's lap when he had veered a sharp right. Their faces were priceless.

Oliver scrolled through his phone and saw that he had three missed calls from Laurel and five text messages. He quickly hit redial and held the phone up to his ear.

"Oliver where are you?" Laurel asked, picking up on the second ring. "Why haven't you answered any of my calls?"

"I'm sorry, I left my phone in the car, and Diggle, Felicity, and I are on the way to the foundry." Oliver answered. "It'd be great if you could swing by and help us with the case. We're planning on wrapping it up tonight."

"I've been sitting in your little lair for two hours now, Ollie!" Laurel practically shouted.

"How did you get in?"

"Your friend Roy let me in, and I've had to sit here doing nothing while listening to him beat up dummies."

"Okay, we'll be there in a little bit." Oliver reassured, "Why don't you do some searches while you wait."

Felicity abruptly reached over and slapped Oliver on the arm. He looked at her incredulously and mouthed 'what'. "Nobody touches my computers!" She said between clenched teeth, "And I already have searches running; I don't want Laurel to mess them up."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Never mind, don't touch Felicity's computers. Just sit tight, we're almost there," Oliver said and then hung up. He rubbed his hands over his face.

"Angry Laurel?" Diggle asked, shooting Oliver a knowing glance.

"Something like that," he said, turning his head to look out the window.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Where did you guys go?" Laurel asked once they entered the foundry.

Oliver looked at her and said, "I thought I told you you didn't have to come to the foundry till six?"

Laurel shrugged and walked over to Felicity's chair. Oliver glanced over at Felicity and saw her jaw clench slightly when Laurel made herself comfortable in it. He stifled a smile as she tried to hide her annoyance.

"Yesterday you told me you had a meeting at nine, so I assumed you'd probably get back here by noon, but the only person I found when I got here was Roy," she said glancing over as Roy who was trying to do one handed push-ups.

"We stopped for lunch," Oliver said curtly before heading off to change. Laurel scowled slightly at his dismissal.

"It was my idea to get lunch," Felicity cut in, to ease the blame off of Oliver. Laurel's gaze slid over to her. Felicity raised the paper bag she was holding. "I didn't realize you were going to be here until after we left, so we only ordered for Roy. But if you want, I can go out and pick something up for you," she offered.

Laurel gave her a small smile. "Thank you," she said, "but I already ate earlier."

"That's good, cause I'm starving," Roy said, coming over and getting the take-out bag from Felicity.

Oliver and Diggle were over by the med table, and Laurel watched as Felicity and Roy walked over to join them. Felicity hopped up and sat on the table next to where Oliver was leaning against it, and judging by Oliver's confused and frustrated expression, Laurel guessed that John was trying to explain something to him. She tried not to watch as they talked, but it was obvious they were practically family; you could feel the close bond they all shared. She wondered if she would ever find her place down in this cave, but thinking about making Starling City a better place and what Sara did while she was here, Laurel wanted to be a part of it. She wanted to prove to the others that she was an asset, and that Laurel could help save this city, too. She decided she would do anything it takes to be a part of this team.

Laurel glanced over and saw Felicity's hand on Oliver's shoulder, and his hand resting on her knee as they smiled at each other.

_Anything_.

**A/N: I swear the whole 'Ruther case' will be wrapped up and done in my next chapter. I am soooo sorry for dragging it on.**


End file.
